Improvement in life-preservers



JAMES E. THOMSON & ELUAH CLARK.

Improvement in Life Preservers.

No. name.

Patented August 115, 1871.

"FFIGE.

JAMES E. THOMSON, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, AND ELIJAH CLARK, OF LOUIS- VILLE, KENTUCKY.

IMPROVEMENT IN LlFE-PRESERVERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 118,168, dated August 15, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that W6,'JAMES E. THoMsoN, of Buffalo, New York, and ELIJAH CLARK, of Louis ville, Kentucky, have invented a new and Improved Enameled-Cork Life-Preserver, of which the following is a description:

Our invention consists in enamelin g cork with asphaltum to render it impervious to water, and in the formation and construction of the life-preserver, as hereina-tter described.

The drawing, with letters of reference thereon, forms part of this specification, in which 0 O O are pieces of cork of any required length and size, that have been first well saturated or impregnated with asphaltum to render them impervious to water, and which corks are attached together by means of webbing and copper wire D 1) D, as shown in the accompanying drawing, leavingthe cork visible. B B are shoulderstraps, made of any suitable material and attached to the top of the cork. A A are arm straps, that go under the arms of the weare and serve to keep the life-preserver in proper position so as to enable the wearer to use his arms freely either in swimming or pulling an oar of a boat. E E

are straps or ties by which the life-preserver is made fast to the body of the wearer.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

We take pieces of cork, O G C, and, when cut to the required length, width, and thickness, we thoroughly impregnate them with asphaltum, which renders them entirely impervious to water of every description and prevents them from absorbing it. These corks thus prepared we attach together by means of webbing and copper wire 1) 1) D, so arranged that the lite-preserver, when not in use, can be made to fold up and occupy but a small space. \Ve attach to the corks two shoulder-straps, B B, made of any suitable material that is strong and pliable. We have two arm-straps, A A, which are also attached to the cork and go under the arms, keeping the lifepreserver in proper position, so as to allow of the free use of the arms for any purpose that may be required. The life-preserver is fastened to the body of the wearer by means of straps E E, made either of leather, linen, or other suitable material.

Having th us fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The cork O O 0, when impregnated or saturated with asphaltum, constructed and arranged substantially as described and for the uses and purposes set forth.

- JAS. E. THOMSON.

ELIJAH CLARK. Witnesses:

W. N. WALTON, H. E. McKnE. 

